brightlywoven (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
brightlywoven) wrote2008-07-18 02:27 pm
brightlywoven) wrote2008-07-18 02:27 pm
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Nothing on my tongue but hallelujah
So, last night exactlyhalfand I made pilgrimage to London to see Leonard Cohen perform in his first world tour in 15 years. It was the kind of night that changes things.
Hallelujah
exactlyhalfand I made pilgrimage to London to see Leonard Cohen perform in his first world tour in 15 years. It was the kind of night that changes things.I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
Some background: I love Leonard Cohen. I first heard him sing on a tape thatexactlyhalfmade me a few weeks after we met, which included Sisters of Mercy. I had just got my driving licence and I would play this tape driving at night. From the first listen I was hooked. Then I found my mum's old records and songbooks and so began a beautiful friendship. Leonard's music has a special kind of salve to me. One night I had a dream that I was 15 again (perish the thought!) but I retained some of my adult memories. I was filled with the knowledge that this time, this time it would be OK, because this time I knew about Leonard Cohen. And if I could just let the others know, we would all be alright.
So that's the kind of relationship I have with this music.
That David played and it pleased the Lord
Some background: I love Leonard Cohen. I first heard him sing on a tape that
exactlyhalfmade me a few weeks after we met, which included Sisters of Mercy. I had just got my driving licence and I would play this tape driving at night. From the first listen I was hooked. Then I found my mum's old records and songbooks and so began a beautiful friendship. Leonard's music has a special kind of salve to me. One night I had a dream that I was 15 again (perish the thought!) but I retained some of my adult memories. I was filled with the knowledge that this time, this time it would be OK, because this time I knew about Leonard Cohen. And if I could just let the others know, we would all be alright.So that's the kind of relationship I have with this music.
But you don't really care for music, do you?
As soon as I heard he was touring, I knew we had to go, but both of us had doubts about an arena show. After all, surely the right place to hear him play was in a small room, with candlelight, Leonard and a guitar. Possibly 30 years ago. No matter, we went.
Yes, the venue (o2 arena) was a poor choice. Yes, it lacked atmosphere, and yes we were very high up. But we were alongside the stage, and we were there.
As soon as I heard he was touring, I knew we had to go, but both of us had doubts about an arena show. After all, surely the right place to hear him play was in a small room, with candlelight, Leonard and a guitar. Possibly 30 years ago. No matter, we went.
Yes, the venue (o2 arena) was a poor choice. Yes, it lacked atmosphere, and yes we were very high up. But we were alongside the stage, and we were there.
It goes like this,
The fourth
The fifth
Any doubts we had vanished from the first lines of the opening song. There was no warm up act, Mr Cohen and musicians arrived on stage to enormous applause (I myself was squealing in full fangirl delight), and they began to play:
'Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me though the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch, be my homeward dove,
Dance me to the end of love.'
A voice deep and rasping but still full, warm and intimate as hell. How? How? How does a man playing to an arena give you the feeling he is crooning in your ear? I think it must be partly to do with being a poet. There is so much space and time in every single word he sings - it's as though he knows the place that each word should occupy, and gives you the time to enter into it, to feel each separate word.
And then there was the man himself. He is enormously charismatic. After ending a song he would doff his fedora and smile with a quick and genuine glee. He said how glad he was to join us 'on the other side of intimacy', an appropriate dig at the nature of the venue, and kept repeating how happy he was to be doing the show. And while his banter might have been well rehearsed, it nonetheless felt genuine.
The first set of songs were relatively high energy, and he passed smoothly through the decades - travelling seamlessly from the 90's (The Future) to the 80's (Ain't No Cure For Love) to the early 70's (Bird on a Wire) and back to 2001 (In My Secret Life). We were introduced to the musicians - 6 instrumentalists and 3 vocalists - all of them clearly masters (The classical guitar introduction to Who By Fire was astounding, and the woodwind/brass, electric guitar, bassist and keyboards were all excellent).
Exceptional song followed exceptional song, and in between was the glee and humour of a man truly enjoying himself ('It's 15 years since I was here last - a 60 year old kid with a crazy dream. Since then I've taken a lot of prozac...And I've studied the philosophies of the religions. But, cheerfulness kept breaking through')
After a stunning performance of Anthem ('There is a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in'), they departed for about 15 minutes. (Unfortunately the lights came up and we remembered where we were!)
The fourth
The fifth
Any doubts we had vanished from the first lines of the opening song. There was no warm up act, Mr Cohen and musicians arrived on stage to enormous applause (I myself was squealing in full fangirl delight), and they began to play:
'Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me though the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch, be my homeward dove,
Dance me to the end of love.'
A voice deep and rasping but still full, warm and intimate as hell. How? How? How does a man playing to an arena give you the feeling he is crooning in your ear? I think it must be partly to do with being a poet. There is so much space and time in every single word he sings - it's as though he knows the place that each word should occupy, and gives you the time to enter into it, to feel each separate word.
And then there was the man himself. He is enormously charismatic. After ending a song he would doff his fedora and smile with a quick and genuine glee. He said how glad he was to join us 'on the other side of intimacy', an appropriate dig at the nature of the venue, and kept repeating how happy he was to be doing the show. And while his banter might have been well rehearsed, it nonetheless felt genuine.
The first set of songs were relatively high energy, and he passed smoothly through the decades - travelling seamlessly from the 90's (The Future) to the 80's (Ain't No Cure For Love) to the early 70's (Bird on a Wire) and back to 2001 (In My Secret Life). We were introduced to the musicians - 6 instrumentalists and 3 vocalists - all of them clearly masters (The classical guitar introduction to Who By Fire was astounding, and the woodwind/brass, electric guitar, bassist and keyboards were all excellent).
Exceptional song followed exceptional song, and in between was the glee and humour of a man truly enjoying himself ('It's 15 years since I was here last - a 60 year old kid with a crazy dream. Since then I've taken a lot of prozac...And I've studied the philosophies of the religions. But, cheerfulness kept breaking through')
After a stunning performance of Anthem ('There is a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in'), they departed for about 15 minutes. (Unfortunately the lights came up and we remembered where we were!)
The minor fall
On returning the lights were lower, and there was Leonard and the back-up vocals, and only a few of the musicians. Now we had the more stripped back sound, where things became more intimate still. This set opened with 'Tower of Song' - his song about what it means and what it costs to make music. There's an irony in a man who many say 'cannot sing' penning the lyric - 'I was born like this, I had no choice. I was born with the gift of a golden voice' - but from the roar of the crowd it was clear they had no doubts about his vocal talents.
(It was during this song that Leonard decided to share with us 'the words that are the key to understanding it all'. They are, naturally, 'da do dum dum dum, da do dum dum'.)
Suzanne followed - the opening song of his first album. Now we had Leonard and guitar and the stark beauty of the lyrics. A wonderful moment
On returning the lights were lower, and there was Leonard and the back-up vocals, and only a few of the musicians. Now we had the more stripped back sound, where things became more intimate still. This set opened with 'Tower of Song' - his song about what it means and what it costs to make music. There's an irony in a man who many say 'cannot sing' penning the lyric - 'I was born like this, I had no choice. I was born with the gift of a golden voice' - but from the roar of the crowd it was clear they had no doubts about his vocal talents.
(It was during this song that Leonard decided to share with us 'the words that are the key to understanding it all'. They are, naturally, 'da do dum dum dum, da do dum dum'.)
Suzanne followed - the opening song of his first album. Now we had Leonard and guitar and the stark beauty of the lyrics. A wonderful moment
The major lift
This is where I eat my words. A few days ago, I wrote that there were two cover songs I would choose over Leonard Cohen's originals. One is Antony singing 'If it be your will', the other was Jeff Buckley singing (a cover of John Cale covering) Hallelujah. It's an amazing song, heartbreakingly beautiful from start to finish. But now, well, wow.
Leonard took his song back.
Last night's rendition of Hallelujah floored me. It was full of such dark majesty and power. There is a final verse that is not included in the Buckley/Cale version, and now I believe it belongs to Cohen alone:
'I tried my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch.
I did my best, I didn't come (to London) to fool you.
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah'
I'm not sure at which point I started breathing. I do know that a standing ovation met that song when it reached it's final climax.
This is where I eat my words. A few days ago, I wrote that there were two cover songs I would choose over Leonard Cohen's originals. One is Antony singing 'If it be your will', the other was Jeff Buckley singing (a cover of John Cale covering) Hallelujah. It's an amazing song, heartbreakingly beautiful from start to finish. But now, well, wow.
Leonard took his song back.
Last night's rendition of Hallelujah floored me. It was full of such dark majesty and power. There is a final verse that is not included in the Buckley/Cale version, and now I believe it belongs to Cohen alone:
'I tried my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch.
I did my best, I didn't come (to London) to fool you.
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah'
I'm not sure at which point I started breathing. I do know that a standing ovation met that song when it reached it's final climax.
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
That was the highpoint for me, but there were many more amazing moments. A very sexy version of I'm your Man, a gorgeous take this Waltz, with the entwining duet that gets me everytime. A Thousand Kisses deep was in this case a poem, spoken in the dark, like a whisper in the bedroom. The angry but ever optimistic Democracy ('I'm stubborn as those garbage bags that time cannot decay, I'm junk but I'm still holding up this little wild bouquet. Democracy is coming - to the U S A.'). The gentle salvation of Sisters of Mercy, the sorrow and love of So Long Marianne. What seemed like a final Good-Bye (Closing Time) was followed by a third encore (I Tried to Leave You), which concluded with the utterly fitting verse:
"Goodnight, my darling, I hope you’re satisfied,
The bed is kind of narrow, but my arms are open wide.
And here’s a man still working for your smile. "
By this point, he didn't have to work very hard. (I kept alternating between rapt attention and more fangirlish squealing.)
It was, above all else, an incredible generous performance. Let's remember this is a 75 year old man who's been on the road for months. He gave a 3 hour performance of 25 songs. He repeatedly introduced his fellow musicians, and during their various solos would stand, hat doffed, in respectful attention. He was gentle and dignified and humble. And brilliant.
That was the highpoint for me, but there were many more amazing moments. A very sexy version of I'm your Man, a gorgeous take this Waltz, with the entwining duet that gets me everytime. A Thousand Kisses deep was in this case a poem, spoken in the dark, like a whisper in the bedroom. The angry but ever optimistic Democracy ('I'm stubborn as those garbage bags that time cannot decay, I'm junk but I'm still holding up this little wild bouquet. Democracy is coming - to the U S A.'). The gentle salvation of Sisters of Mercy, the sorrow and love of So Long Marianne. What seemed like a final Good-Bye (Closing Time) was followed by a third encore (I Tried to Leave You), which concluded with the utterly fitting verse:
"Goodnight, my darling, I hope you’re satisfied,
The bed is kind of narrow, but my arms are open wide.
And here’s a man still working for your smile. "
By this point, he didn't have to work very hard. (I kept alternating between rapt attention and more fangirlish squealing.)
It was, above all else, an incredible generous performance. Let's remember this is a 75 year old man who's been on the road for months. He gave a 3 hour performance of 25 songs. He repeatedly introduced his fellow musicians, and during their various solos would stand, hat doffed, in respectful attention. He was gentle and dignified and humble. And brilliant.
Hallelujah
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Cohen is someone whose music I've heard great things about but who I always thought was too "old" for me - the kind of music people in their 30s listen to.
*coughs* Yes. Well. Those years crept up without me noticing. Perhaps it's time to find out if I was right :). Recommendations?
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The protoypical 'man with a guitar sings sad and beautiful music' album is Songs of Leonard Cohen. If you like your music with a bitter twist, Songs of Love and Hate is still my favourite. For several years I played it loud, late at night, in the dark :)
Of the later music, Various Positions is a good one to start with - it features Hallelujah. But if you can stand (or even enjoy) a bit of 80's synth in your music, then I'm Your Man is an album of awesome (and one of the funnier ones)
All of these are sitting in our lounge room and available for the lending!
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A 3 hour gig is hard work for anyone, let alone a 75 year old man! I'm deeply impressed.
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He actually *pranced* off stage after the second encore. Seriously
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I really do hope he makes it to Australia. He's just announced a return tour here later this year, so seems to have significant energy for touring!
(The people next to us had a kid - about 9 - with them. Her mum really wanted her to have seen Leonard Cohen. Daughter just wanted to hear Hallelujah (because of Shrek?), but I think that kid will think it's seriously cool one day. I know I would have ;)